Construction and Early History
The British Lion was a wooden scow schooner built in 1883 in Pike Creek, Ontario. Measuring 84.6 feet in length, with a beam of 22.6 feet and a depth of 5.5 feet, the vessel was well-suited for the shallow and often challenging waters of the Great Lakes. With a gross tonnage of 80 tons, the British Lion was primarily used to transport cargoes such as stave bolts, a critical material for barrel production during the era. Initially registered in Windsor, Ontario, the British Lion became a familiar sight on Lake Erie, engaged in the region’s bustling maritime trade.
The Storm and Loss
On October 27, 1891, the British Lion embarked on a voyage from Romney, Ontario, to Erie, Pennsylvania, carrying a cargo of stave bolts. As the scow schooner made its way across Lake Erie, it encountered a severe storm that would seal its fate. The storm’s intensity proved too much for the British Lion, and the vessel capsized and foundered half a mile off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Despite the harrowing conditions, the crew managed to escape the sinking vessel and took refuge in a small boat. For 12 long hours, they drifted at the mercy of the storm, battling the elements and the cold waters of Lake Erie. Their ordeal ended when a passenger on the passing steamer Nyack spotted them and alerted the crew, who facilitated their rescue. Thanks to the timely intervention of the Nyack’s crew, all lives were saved, a rare piece of good fortune in an otherwise tragic event.
The wreck of the British Lion was eventually driven onto the rocks near Erie, where it broke apart. The vessel was declared a total loss, marking the end of its service on the Great Lakes.
Previous Incidents
The British Lion had encountered trouble before its final voyage. In May 1884, the vessel went ashore 15 miles above Sarnia, Ontario. At the time, it was feared to be a total loss, although the ship’s subsequent return to service suggests that it was either salvaged or repaired following the incident. This earlier brush with disaster foreshadowed the vessel’s ultimate fate in 1891.
Legacy and Remembrance
The British Lion’s story is a poignant reminder of the perils faced by sailors on the Great Lakes, where sudden storms could transform routine voyages into life-and-death struggles. The vessel’s final capsizing and sinking in 1891 add another chapter to the maritime history of Lake Erie, a region known for its treacherous waters and the many ships that have been lost to its depths.
Although the British Lion was declared a total loss and its wreckage was left to the elements, its story lives on through the accounts of those who survived and the historical records that document its service and demise. The vessel’s listing as lost on Lake Erie in the registry records of 1920, nearly 20 years after its sinking, suggests that its wreckage was never recovered and remains part of the lake’s underwater landscape.
Resources & Links
Keywords
British Lion, scow schooner, Great Lakes shipwreck, Lake Erie, Erie Pennsylvania, Pike Creek Ontario, maritime history, vessel loss, storm wreck, shipwreck remembrance.
Ongoing Research & Monitoring
Further research into the British Lion may uncover additional details about the storm that led to its sinking and any historical artifacts or records that may shed light on its earlier service and final voyage. Continuous monitoring of maritime history archives and shipwreck databases will ensure that any new information about the British Lion is integrated into its historical narrative
